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ACCA To Host Harvestfest

ST. MARYS — Organizers of the Auglaize County Council on Aging’s second-ever Harvestfest say the event will be bigger and better than ever before.

The event, which will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 14 in the Miller Building of the Auglaize County Fairgrounds, will feature homemade ice cream, an ODOT driving simulator, appraisals, historical stories and more.

“We have all kinds of things for kids to do,” Outreach Coordinator Trena Chiles said.

“We have a hayride, where they can go out to a pumpkin patch and pick out pumpkins and decorate them. We have inflatables for the kids to jump around in. We’re going to have remote control airplanes there.”

Last year, more than 1,200 people attended the festival, and Chiles said she hopes for an even better turnout this year. There will be more craft booths, music all day, and Caroline’s Chicken and Ribs will be serving food from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There will be an antique/collectible auction preceding Harvestfest, starting at 5 p.m. Sept. 12 in the Miller Building at the fairgrounds. All proceeds benefit the Auglaize County Council on Aging.

Another new addition this year is the Last Supper Quilt, which was designed and quilted by Donald Lock. The quilt, which is 15.3 feet by 5.5 feet and took two years to complete, will be featured all day at Harvestfest. It comes to Auglaize County from Texas, and its makers will be present to talk about it.

“I tried last year (to get it), but we didn’t have the funds to get them here,” Chiles said. “So it worked out that we have corporate sponsors.”

Entry is $1 or a canned good, and all food items will be donated to area food pantries. Tickets for Caroline’s Chicken and Ribs can be purchased at Harvestfest or at the Council on Aging.

“I think it’s a wonderful new, annual event for the Council on Aging,” ACCA Director Chris Roby said. “It draws people together and it showcases our services, which is our primary goal. Yes, it’s to raise money, which we definitely need, but it’s also to raise awareness for the services that we provide. All of our services enable our county seniors to stay in their homes as long as possible, avoiding institutionalization. I would encourage everybody to attend because it was just an absolutely wonderful first year and we really expect it to be something even more special this year. We just want to continue thanking the residents of Auglaize County for supporting us in our endeavors.”